DESIGN CONCEPTS

UNIT II
 Flexural Strength of Pre-stressed Concrete
Sections
Types of Flexural Failure
• When prestressed concrete members are
subjected to bending loads, different types of
flexural failures are possible at critical sections,
depending upon the principal controlling
parameters, such as
• the percentage of reinforcement in the
section,
 • degree of bond between tendons and
concrete,
• compressive strength of concrete and
• the ultimate tensile strength of the tendons.
• In the post cracking stage, the behaviour of a
prestressed concrete member is same as that
of a reinforced concrete member and the
theories used for estimating the flexural strength
of reinforced concrete section may as well be
used for pre-stressed concrete sections.
• The various types of flexural failures
encountered in prestressed concrete members
are examined in the light of recommendations
of various codes of practice:
• Fracture of steel in tension
• Failure of under-reinforced sections
• Failure of over-reinforced sections
• Other modes of failure
Fracture of steel in tension
• The sudden failure of a pre-stressed member
without any warning is generally due to the
fracture of steel in the tension zone.
• This type of failure is imminent when the
percentage of steel provided in the section is
so low that when the concrete in the tension
zone cracks, the steel is not in a position to bear
up the additional tensile stress transferred to it
by the cracked concrete.
• This type of failure can be prevented by providing
a certain minimum percentage of steel in the
cross-section.
• The Indian standard code IS:1343-1980 prescribes
a minimum longitudinal reinforcement of 0.2
percent of the cross-sectional area in all cases
except in the case of pre-tensioned units of small
sections.
• When a high-yield strength deformed
reinforcement is used, the minimum steel
percentage is reduced to 0.15 percent.
• The percentage of steel provided, both
tensioned and untensioned taken together,
should be sufficient so that when concrete in
the pre-compressed tensile zone cracks, the
steel is in a position to bear the additional tensile
stress transferred to it by the cracking of the
adjacent fibres of the concrete, thereby
preventing a sudden failure of the beam due to
fracture of steel in tension.
• In contrast, the British code BS: 8110-1985
prescribes that the number of prestressing
tendons should be such that cracking of the
concrete precedes the failure of the beam.

• This requirement will be satisfied if the ultimate

moment of resistance of the section exceeds the
moment necessary to produces a flexural tensile
stress in the concrete at the extreme tension fibres
of magnitude equal to 0.6 √fcu.
• In these computations, the effective prestress
in concrete should be considered after
allowing for the various losses.
• The American Concrete Institute code
ACI:318-1989 specifies that the minimum
area of bonded reinforcement should be
not less than 0.004 times the area of that
part of cross-section which is between
flexural tension face and the centre of gravity
of the gross concrete section.
Failure of under-reinforced sections
• If the cross-section is provided with an amount of steel
greater than the minimum prescribed, the failure is
characterized by an excessive elongation of steel
followed by the crushing of concrete.
• As bending loads are increased, excessive elongation of the
steel raises the neutral axis closer to the compression face at
the critical section.
• The member approaches failure due to the gradual
reduction of the compression zone, exhibiting large
deflections and cracks, which develop at the soffit and
progress towards the compression face.
• When the area of concrete in the compression
zone is insufficient to resist the resultant internal
compressive force, the ultimate flexural failure of
the member takes place through the crushing of
concrete.
• Large deflections and wide cracks are the
characteristic features of under-reinforced
sections at failure.
• This type of behaviour is generally desirable
since there is considerable warning before the
impending failure.
• As such, it is common practice to design under-
reinforced sections which become more
important in the case of statically indeterminate
structures.
• An upper limit on the maximum area of steel is
generally prescribed in various codes for under-
reinforced sections.
Failure of over-reinforced sections
• When the effective reinforcement index, which
is expressed in terms of
• the percentage of reinforcement
• the compressive strength of concrete and
• the tensile strength of steel
• exceeds a certain range of values, the section
is said to be over-reinforced.
• Generally, over-reinforced members fail by
the sudden crushing of concrete, the failure
being characterised by small deflections and
narrow cracks.
• The area of steel being comparatively large, the stresses
developed in steel at failure of the member may not reach
the tensile strength and in many cases it may well be within
the proof stress of the tendons.
• In structural concrete members, it is undesirable to have
sudden failures without any warning in the form of
excessive deflections and widespread cracks, and
consequently the use of over-reinforced sections are
discouraged.
• The amount of reinforcement used in practice should,
preferably, not exceed that required for a balanced section.
• In this connection, most of the codes follow a
conservative approach in formulating the evaluation
procedures for flexural strength calculations of over-
reinforced sections.
• The redistribution of moments in an indeterminate
structure depends upon the rotation capacities of the
critical sections of the member under a given system of
loads.
• The use of over-reinforced sections in such structures
curtails the rotation capacity of the sections,
consequently affecting the ultimate load on the structure.
Other modes of failure
• Pre-stressed concrete members subjected to
transverse loads may fail in shear before their
full flexural strength is attained, if they are not
adequately designed for shear.
• Web shear cracks may develop if the principal
stresses are excessive, and if thin webs are
used, the failure may occur due to web
crushing.
• In the case of pre-tensioned members, the
failure of the bond between the steel and the
surrounding concrete is likely due to
inadequate transmission lengths at the ends of
members.
• In post-tensioned members, anchorage
failures may take place if the end block is not
properly designed to resist the transverse
tensile forces.
Strain Compatibility Method
• The rigorous method of estimating the flexural
strength of prestressed concrete section is
based on the compatibility of strains and
equilibrium of forces acting on the section at the
stage of failure.
• The basic theory is applicable to all structural
concrete sections, whether reinforced or
prestressed, and generally the following
assumptions are made:
• The stress distribution in the compression zone of
concrete can be defined by means of coefficients
applied to the characteristic compressive strength
and the average compressive stress and the position
of the centre of compression can be assessed.
• The distribution of concrete strain is linear (plane
sections normal to axis remain plane after bending).
• The resistance of concrete in tension is neglected.
• The maximum compressive strain in concrete at
failure reaches a particular value.
• The flexural compressive stress in the
compressive zone closely follows the stress
strain curve of concrete.
• The properties of the concrete stress block can
be expressed in terms of the characteristic ratios
k1 and k2.
• Figure below shows the stress and strain
distribution at the limit state of collapse for a
rectangular section with steel in the tension
zone.
• The parameters k1 and k2 are not constant but
depend upon the compressive strength of
concrete.
• Investigations by Hognestad et.al. have shown
that k1 varies between 0.5 and 0.7 and k 2
between 0.42 and 0.47 for the compressive
strength varying from 60 to 20 N/mm2.
• The figure below summarizes the
characteristics of Hognestad et. al’s stress block.
• In which the concrete cube strengths fck have
been obtained from the cylinder strength fc’
using conversion factor of 0.8.
• The figure shows that the ultimate strain ecu
varies with the concrete strength.
• However, the current British, American and
Indian standard codes assume, for the sake of
simplicity, a constant value for ultimate
compressive strain in concrete irrespective of
the strength of concrete.
Based on the stress block,
Total compressive force Cu = k1.fck. b. x
Total tensile force Tu = Aps.fpb
The ultimate flexural strength of the section is
expressed as
• The major steps to be followed in the strain
compatibility method are summarised below:
1. Compute the effective strain Ɛse in steel
due to prestress after allowing for a losses
from the stress-strain curve for steel.
2. Assume a trial value for the neutral axis
depth x and evaluate (Ɛsu - Ɛse) from the

strain diagram (assuming Ɛcu = 0.0035,

compute the value of Ɛsu)

3. Using the stress-strain curve for steel,
determine the value of stress in steel at
failure fpb corresponding to Ɛsu.
4. Compute the total compression Cu and
tension Tu.
5. If the compressive and tensile forces are
equal, then the assumed value of x is
correct.
6. If the tension is less than compression,
decrease the value of x and if tension
exceeds compression, increase x and
repeat steps 2 to 4 until a reasonable
agreement is achieved.
7. Evaluate the ultimate moment Mu using
the expression,
Mu = Aps.fpb(d-k2x)
• Generally, it is possible to achieve force
equilibrium within two or three trials.
• The strain compatibility method is useful for
estimating the ultimate flexural strength of
over-reinforced sections in which the stresses
in steel at failure do not reach the ultimate
strength values.
A pretensioned concrete beam with a rectangular section,
100 mm wide by 160 mm deep, is prestressed by 10 high-
tensile wires of 2.5 mm diameter located at an eccentricity
of 40 mm. The initial force in each wire is 6.8kN. The
strain loss in wires due to elastic shortening, creep and
shrinkage of concrete is estimated to be 0.0012 units. The
characteristic cube strength of concrete is 40 N/mm 2.
Given the load-strain curve of 2.5 mm diameter steel wire,
estimate the ultimate flexural strength of the section using
the strain compatibility method.
 For fck = 40 N/mm2, From Figure Hognestad’s
stress block,
Ɛcu = 0.0033, k1 = 0.57 and k2 = 0.45
Strain due to load of 6.8 kN in wire is 0.0073
(figure given in the problem)

Effective strain in steel after all losses is given by

(Ɛsu – Ɛse)= Ɛcu
Simplified Code Procedures
Indian Code Provisions
• The Indian standard code method (IS: 1343 -
1980) for computing the flexural strength of
rectangular sections or T-sections in which
neutral axis lies within the flange is based on
the rectangular and parabolic stress block as
shown in the Figure.
• For pretensioned and post tensioned members
with an effective bond between concrete and
tendons, the value of fpu and xu are given in
Table 11, Appendix B of IS: 1343 -1980.
• The effective prestress fpe after all losses should
be not less than 0.451fp.
• For post-tensioned rectangular beams with
unbonded tendons, the values of f pu and xu are
influenced by the effective span to depth
ratios, and their values for different span/depth
ratios are given in Table 12, Appendix B of IS:
1343 – 1980.
• The ultimate moment of resistance of flanged
sections in which the neutral axis falls outside
the flange is computed by combining the
moment of resistance of the web and flange
portions and considering the stress blocks
shown in the figure below.
• For the effective reinforcement ratio of
(Apw.fp/bw.d.fck), the corresponding values of
(fpu/0.87fp) and (xu/d) are obtained from Table 11,
Appendix B of IS: 1343-1980.

• The ultimate moment of resistance of the flanged

section is obtained from the expression,
A pretensioned prestressed concrete beam
having a rectangular section, 150 mm wide and
350 mm deep, has an effective cover of 50 mm.
If fck = 40 N/mm2, fp = 1600 N/mm2, and the area
of prestressing steel Ap = 461 mm2, calculate the
ultimate flexural strength of the section using
IS : 1343 code provisions.
From Table 12,IS:1343-1980
A post-tensioned bridge girder with unbonded
tendons is of box section of overall dimensions
1200 mm wide by 1800 mm deep, with wall
thickness of 150 mm. The high-tensile steel has
an area of 4000 mm2 and is located at an
effective depth of 1600 mm. The effective
prestress in steel after all losses is 1000 N/mm2
and the effective span of the girder is 24 m. If fck
= 40 N/mm2 and fp = 1600 N/mm2, estimate the
ultimate flexural strength of the section.
British Code Provisions
• The British code BS: 8110-1985 provides that for
prestressed concrete members, the stress
distribution in concrete at failure may be
assumed to be rectangular with an average
stress value of 0.45fcu and the depth of the
stress block is assumed to be equal to 0.9 times
the depth of the compression zone as shown in
the Figure below.
• The ultimate moment of resistance of a beam
containing bonded or unbonded tendons, all of
which are located in the tension zone, may be
obtained from the equation:
fpb
• For a rectangular or flanged beam in which
the flange thickness is not less than 0.9x, d n
may be taken as 0.45x.
• For bonded tendons, the values of fpb and x
may be obtained from the Table below.
• For unbonded tendons, values of fpb and x may
be obtained from the following equations:
• The maximum value of fpb is limited to 0.7fpu.
• In the absence of any rigorous analysis, any
additional untensioned reinforcement As
provided in the tension zone is replaced by an
equivalent area of prestressing tendons
(As.fy/fpu).
• In contrast to the Indian Standard Code, in the
British Code, the stress in tendons at failure f pb
is influenced by the effective reinforcement
ratio(fpu.Aps/fcu.b.d.) and the ratio (fpe/fpu).
• The ultimate flexural strength of tee sections in
which the neutral axis falls outside the flange is
computed by combining the flexural strengths of
the web and flange portions having the stress
blocks as shown in the Figure below.
• The ultimate moment of resistance is expressed
as
A pretensioned beam of rectangular section
400 mm wide and 600 mm overall depth is
stressed by 1700 mm2 of high-tensile wires
located 100 mm from the soffit of the section. If
the characteristic cube strength of concrete is
50 N/mm2 and the tensile strength of
prestressing steel is 1600 N/mm2, estimate the
flexural strength of the section using the British
code recommendations. Assume the effective
prestress after all losses as 960 N/mm2.
American Code Recommendations
• The building code requirements of the American
Concrete Institute ACI: 318 – 1989 recommends
separate expressions for estimating the ultimate
moment capacity of under reinforced and over
reinforced rectangular and flanged sections with or
without compression reinforcement.
• The expressions are based on the assumption that the
maximum strain in concrete, Ɛcu = 0.003, and the
average concrete compressive stress in the rectangular
stress block is 0.85 fc’ at the limit state of flexural failure.
• The following notations are applicable in the
various strength equations:
(a) Limitation of effective reinforcement index
• The reinforcements in under-reinforced sections,
which fail by yielding of reinforcement, which fail
by yielding of reinforcement, should satisfy the
following conditions:

For sections satisfying the above conditions, the

ultimate flexural strength is computed by using the
following relations
(b) Sections with tension reinforcement only
(bonded tendons)
• From the Figure given below, for rectangular or
flanged sections in which the depth of the stress
block (a) does not exceed the thickness of the
flange (hf), the ultimate moment Mu is computed
by:
• When the compression flange thickness (h f) is
less than the depth of the stress block (a), as
shown in the Figure below, the ultimate moment
may be computed by:
(c) Rectangular sections with compression
reinforcement
• For rectangular sections, the ultimate moment
Mu is computed as follows:
• When the value of ((Aps.fps + As.fy – As’.fy)/bd) is
less than the value specified above, the stress in
the compression reinforcement is less than the
yield strength fy.
• In such cases, the effect of compression
reinforcement may be neglected and a
conservative estimate of the moment capacity
may be obtained by equations given for
rectangular sections.
• However, a rigorous analysis based on stress-
strain compatibility will yield an accurate estimate
of the ultimate moment capacity of the section.
(d) Sections with unbonded tendons
• For members with unbonded tendons and with a
span/depth ratio not exceeding 35, the stress in
tendons at failure is computed by the relation,
(e) Moment Capacity of Over-Reinforced
Sections
• Rectangular or flanged sections having the
effective reinforcement index exceeding 0.36 β 1
are considered as over-reinforced, and when the
neutral axis lies within the flange, the ultimate
moment is computed by the relation,
• For flanged sections in which the neutral axis is
located outside the flange, the ultimate moment
is computed by the relation,
 A pretensioned, prestressed concrete beam of rectangular
section 150 mm wide and 350 mm deep, has an effective
cover of 50 mm. If fc’ = 40 N/mm2, fpu = 1600 N/mm2,
(fpy/fpu) = 0.90, determine, using ACI 318-1989
recommendations:
(a) the minimum area of prestressing steel to avoid failure of
section by fracture of steel;
(b) The maximum area of prestressing steel which just
ensures failure by yielding of steel;
(c) Ultimate flexural strength corresponding to case (b); and
(d) The ultimate flexural strength of the section if the area of
prestressing steel in case (b) is doubled in the section.